Senior United Nations officials today welcomed parliamentary approval of an amnesty law covering acts of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo dating back to mid-2000 as “the next step in bringing sustainable peace. The adopted law grants amnesty for acts of insurgency, acts of war and political offenses. The Envoys commend the new law for excluding amnesty for crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Colonel Mamadou Moustapha Ndala, who led Congolese army soldiers on the front lines during their victory against the M23 rebels, was killed on Thursday in Beni, North Kivu province, during an ambush. According to military sources, Col. Mamadou Ndala died after a rocket hit his vehicle near the village of Mazizi.

The signing of a document that was supposed to mark the end of peace talks between DR Congo’s government and the defeated M23 rebels was postponed indefinitely on Monday in Entebbe, Uganda, over a disagreement on its wording and title.

The Congolese government says it will not sign a “peace deal” with the M23 rebels now that they have been defeated. Information Minister and government spokesman Lambert Mende told reporters during a news conference in Kinshasa on Tuesday that there will only be a “statement.”

DR Congo’s army took control of the hill of Mbuzi on Monday, one of the last positions still being held by the M23 rebels, who have been entrenched on three hills near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda since they lost their last stronghold of Bunagana.

DR Congo’s army has recaptured Bunagana, the last major town that was still occupied by the M23 rebels in North Kivu province. President Joseph Kabila took to the airwaves to congratulate the Congolese army for liberating “most regions of North Kivu that had been under the control of the enemies of peace for 19 months.”

DR Congo’s army continued its advance north towards M23 rebel strongholds on Monday. After Kibumba, Kiwanja and Rutshuru, it was the turn of Rumangabo to fall under the control of the Congolese Armed Forces, also known as the FARDC.

DR Congo’s army has liberated three major towns from the M23 rebels in a span of just three days. It is a dramatic fall for the M23 rebels, who have terrorized hundreds of thousands of civilians in eastern Congo for more than a year.

DR Congo's army has recaptured the town of Kibumba, located 27 kilometers north of Goma, in North Kivu province. The spokesman of the Congolese Armed Forces in the province, Col. Olivier Hamuli, announced Saturday afternoon that the army, known as FARDC, had taken control of the town. He called on the M23 rebels to disarm.